A large ‘Fancy Intense Yellow’ diamond, known as The Golden Eye, will be put up for auction this September, starting at a minimum bid of almost a million dollars.
The internally flawless diamond, weighing in at 43.51 carats, is believed to be one of the largest flawless yellow diamonds in existence, according to the Associated Press, who spoke with Jenny Lynch from the company Bid4Assets.
‘This is the largest and most valuable diamond that we have auctioned in our company’s 12-year history,” Lynch, a spokesperson for the company that will be conducting the auction, said.
And although the diamond is sure to generate international interest, there has already been a fair amount from the United States, with 9,000 page views online already, according to Lisa Black, coordinator for the forfeiture unit in the Marshals Service’s northern Ohio district.
However, the rectangular brilliant cut diamond will come with a pretty sizable price tag; with a starting bid of $900,000, all subsequent bids must increase by an increment of $110,000. In fact, there is a $180,000 refundable deposit required just to view the diamond while it is on display in Ohio.
Offici
als have not released the appraised value of the diamond, but believe that it could be worth millions, despite its original origins remaining a mystery.
The Marshal Service has not been able to determine the mine of origin, but has confirmed that it has no connection to any famous or historic diamond. However, Tom Moses, a senior vice president with the Gemological Institute of America that graded the diamond, said it is likely The Golden Eye came from southern Africa, due to its strong color.
The diamond, once owned by boxer Mike Tyson, will be up for auction beginning September 6th, with some proceeds going to the federal government and some to state and local agencies that helped in the investigation that led to the diamond.